


Rebounding

by Patentlyy



Category: Everything Sucks (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Coming Out, Eventual Smut, F/F, First Time, Kemaline - Freeform, Useless Lesbians, gay angst, mental health, not really slow burn but it takes a while for them to get where they need to be, teen drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:41:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22704874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patentlyy/pseuds/Patentlyy
Summary: Maybe, just maybe, less than 24 hours after your boyfriend leaves without saying goodbye is not the best time to start a new relationship.But hey, love is never easy right? Especially when you’re trying to hide it.
Relationships: Emaline Addario/Kate Messner
Comments: 7
Kudos: 80





	1. LOVE IS (NOT) EASY

**Author's Note:**

> So I wanted to try something a little different because personally I thought that the ending of the show went a little too smoothly and there are several things that need to be addressed. So without further ado...

Emaline watched Kate from across the cafeteria, laughing and smiling like the distance between them wasn’t twisting sharp knives into her gut. Now, that might sound a bit dramatic, but Emaline was dramatic. It was her favourite thing about herself. She had reclaimed a word used to scold and demean her and made it something they couldn’t use against her anymore. Whoever they were, her parents, that shitty shrink she had seen last year, Oliver.

She would be lying if she said there wasn’t a part of her that missed him. Missed the stability in the instability that only he provided. But Emaline was an actress, and therefore a fantastic liar. She told herself she wasn’t still hurt, that she was happier now that he was gone in fact, because she could finally be herself.  
There was one problem with this plan however; Emaline didn’t know how to be herself. She didn’t know who she was without him.  
Emaline Addario, Oliver’s girlfriend. Definitely not. Emaline Addario, Psycho Bitch. Maybe.  
Emaline Addario, Drama Queen. she thought to herself, accurate.

Though now that he was really gone, they weren’t just on a break on in a fight he was gone, now that the show was finally over, she came to realise that there wasn’t many aspects of their relationship that weren’t entirely performative. The thought had come with a wave of nausea, and the sweet smile that graced her lips whenever she looked at Kate slipped from her face just as the other girls eyes sought out the blonde in the crowded hall. She found her, staring blankly at her with distant eyes as though she was looking at her but not really seeing her. 

Emaline watched as kate dropped Luke’s hand and excused herself. For a second she forgot about her identity crisis to wonder why the fuck was she holding his hand? Emaline stifled the jealousy that had quickly started to boil in the acid in her stomach. She plastered on another smile as Kate made her way to the table.  
The younger girls eyes anxiously flickered to the other kids at the table, not sure how she should approach.  
Emaline smiled genuinely this time, and watched the tension that had quickly built in Kate’s shoulders lessen slightly.

“Hey- um... can we talk?” Kate said awkwardly, trying desperately to avoid the eyes of the drama club kids sat at the table. 

Emaline shoves her tray away from her and jumps to her feet, not even saying goodbye to her friends as she moves to grab Kate’s hand and marches off with the girl in tow. The weight of her hand in hers was heavy, and made Emaline, who had never been embarrassed in her life, acutely aware of all the eyes on them. As they watched the psycho drama queen lead the A.V nerd off to the side of the cafeteria and through the back door. It wasn’t a conscious decision, but sometime after she had left the table she had let Kate’s hand slip from hers. She fussed with her hair instead as Kate held the door open from behind her. 

Now that they were alone, in the tiny stairwell that held a small empty trophy case and a door that led to the old janitors closet, Emaline began to wonder why she had been so profoundly upset just a moment ago. She didn’t need him when she had her.

Kate awkwardly toyed with the sleeve of her flannel shirt, as she often did when she wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to say.

Emaline waited for a minute glancing around at the blank, peeling walls like they were somehow very interesting before she turned back to Kate with a curious smirk.  
“So...what did you want to talk about, sweetie?” 

Kate glanced at the floor quickly then back at Emaline, who was patiently waiting for an answer with her back pressed against the wall and a light smile on her lips. It took her a second to find the words but when she did they came out rather quickly.  
“Well I- uh... I know we haven’t really spoken since the um... the-“

“Kiss?” Emaline answered with a raised eyebrow making Kate blush just a little.

“Yeah the- that.” She finished with a light breathy laugh. She scratched a spot on her wrist. “I just wondered have I done something wrong? Because we kissed and it was great but then we kinda stopped talking and then back there I dunno I just thought you looked kinda... upset?” Kate finished taking a breath before studying the face of the girl in front of her, who had an expression she couldn’t quite read. “I mean uh- the kiss- it was great for me, I don’t know about you I’m sure you’ve had plenty better-“ 

Emaline let’s out a laugh effectively cutting the girl off as she begins to ramble too quickly. “Kate- Sweetie...” The blonde takes a step towards her and reclaims her hand. “It was great for me too.” She says confidently, and the smile that lights up the taller girls face makes her chest tighten just a little bit. 

“Really?” She asks, letting out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

Emaline bites her lip in return. “Really.” She says definitively.

Kate lets her thumb brush over her knuckles, enjoying how soft they feel for a quiet moment before asking, “then what was with the face?”

Emaline takes a step away from her, pulling her hands out of her grasp and taking a seat on the stairs. “Look it’s really nothing...” she trails off. She’s not going to tell her she’s still upset about Oliver, or that she wants to know what exactly is going on with you and Luke cause that definitely didn’t look like nothing. She pauses for a moment. “Can’t we just be happy to have some alone time?”

Kate ponders this for a moment, even now Emaline seemed off, like a pretend version of the Emaline she had danced with on the stage or laid with in that crappy motel room. She decides to drop it anyway, scared to push Emaline and falling victim to one of the infamous screaming matches her and Oliver used to have several times a day. She wants to be better than him.  
“Of course.” She says quietly, before the thrill of spending time alone with Emaline takes over. 

Emaline hops back on to her feet quickly and for the second time that lunch period, drags Kate through another set of doors. This time holding onto the girls hands firmly.

——-

It hadn’t taken much on Emaline’s part to convince Kate to skip the rest of the day. So they found themselves exactly 37 minutes after lunch had ended, sitting quietly on the hood of Emaline’s car parked on one of the roads leading out of town that hardly anybody used. It was peaceful, and far enough away from the school that they didn’t have to worry about getting caught.

“So...” the blonde started “have you thought about what you’re gonna tell your dad?” She finished quietly, as though slightly afraid of what the answer might be.

It didn’t take Kate long to reply, she sighed and fumbled with the hem of her shirt. “I don’t know. I’m not sure how he’s gonna take it.” She glances at Emaline then stares out into the road, at this time of day, with the sun shining so bright she couldn’t quite make out where it ended.

“But your Dad’s like the sweetest guy ever?” She wrinkles her nose.

Kate shuffles further up the hood, the red metal was hot on her bare hands and she’s grateful she’s wearing jeans today otherwise she’s sure she couldn’t sit there comfortably. “Yeah he is but- I’m not sure I’m ready to tell him.” The last of her words sounded just slightly broken up, almost like she wasn’t sure she meant them. Emaline seemed happy with this answer though and only hummed in response before Kate asked her. “What about your parents?”

Emaline doesn’t look at Kate when she responds. “Oh” she laughs, “they’re not gonna like it.”

Kate turns to face Emaline this time, unsure as to how she could say that with such ease. “Why wouldn’t they like it?”

Emaline doesn’t let her thoughts get away from her and answers in an unusually flat voice. “They don’t like anything I do. They never have.”

Without thinking much Kate reaches out for her hand. Holding it tighter than she would. “That can’t be true, you’re amazing, you’re so pretty and smart and talen-“ she’s cut off abruptly but Emaline’s soft lips against her own. She doesn’t let Kate finish her sentence when she pulls her lips away.

“Kate, it’s okay.” She places her hand on the side of the other girls neck, softly brushing her jaw with the tip of her thumb. A soft smile found its way to her lips. “I don’t care what they think.”

Kate stays quiet for a moment, staring into the blondes eyes with such care that Emaline almost wants to look away. She can tell there’s more to this than Emaline wants to let on, but she can tell that she’s not going to get very far by asking, so she drops it.  
“For what it’s worth, I like everything you do.”

Emaline just smiles softly and kisses her again. It lasts longer this time, Kate takes the plunge and leans over the smaller girl, lightly pushing her back until she’s practically laying on the car. She’s never kissed anyone like this before, but it felt right as her hands moved of their own accord and trailed up Emaline’s leg to the hem of her denim skirt. Kate felt Emaline’s lips part and something wet brush gently across her lips, she granted entrance to her mouth as her hand moved higher and higher causing the girl beneath her to let out a light moan that made her shudder.

Somewhere close by, a car horn got steadily louder causing the two to jump apart just in time to see four teenagers in an open top car speed by, clearly having enjoyed the surprise show on the side of the road. Emaline leans forward quickly to get a look at the passengers but they were nearly out of sight. “Who was that?” She asks, sounding desperate and slightly out of breath.

Kate was still following the car out of sight when she answers, “I don’t think they’re from around here.”

Emaline just nods her head and leans back against the car, letting her worry wash away with a soft laugh until Kate joins in too. “That was a close one. We’ve been sneaking around for less than an hour and we could’ve got busted already.” Once their giggles die down Emaline gestures for them to get in the car, Kate wordlessly follows suit.  
“So I was thinking, mind if I cash in that rain check?” Emaline winks at the girl playfully.

Kate doesn’t make eye contact as she responds, her cheeks still red from their near miss and getting darker by the second as she thinks of all the things that could possibly mean. 

She’s going over to Emaline’s house.

She answers a simple “Yes please,” faster than she thought possible.

They strap into the car, and it roars to life with a concerning but ultimately harmless sound that all old cars make. Emaline’s car smelt of strawberries and cigarettes and while that might sound like a bad combination Kate found herself inhaling deeper than she needed to as she smoothed her fingers over the worn leather seat.

It wasn’t a bad smell at all. She liked Emaline’s car.  
She liked everything about her.


	2. Come on Mess Me Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I hope u guys like this next instalment and hopefully you can see where it’s going from here but there’s gonna be plenty of angst and drama from here on out so be warned. Also, is underage drinking a trigger warning?
> 
> Ps I imagined the song that they dance to briefly to be ‘nutshell’ by Alice in chains in case you’re into that

Emaline’s room was not what she had expected. The walls were pale blue, lit up in shades of red and yellow from the biggest lava lamp Kate had ever seen. The curtains had been drawn when she had entered, it must have only been two o’clock by that point, the sun was high in the sky, the world awake and bustling outside but for some reason it felt like she was standing in a completely different time.  
Walking into Emaline’s room had felt like walking into a dream, another part of reality she was sure didn’t exist. 

Kate stood nervously at the door as Emaline made her way across the room to put some music on, carelessly tossing her bag on the floor like she wasn’t at all afraid of ruining this perfect illusion.  
Kate watched as she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder, started humming as she found the CD she wanted.

A slow acoustic song that Kate hadn’t heard before started playing, Emaline turned and swayed in time with the music as she locked eyes with the girl across the room, wordlessly she held out her hand, beckoning the girl closer.  
Kate let out a shakey breath, setting her bag down at the foot of the bed as carefully as she could. She moved forward like she was in a trance, with slow deliberate steps intending to display more confidence than she felt.

Here she was. The A.V Club nerd. Dancing in Emaline Addario’s room with the drama queen herself.

Emaline laced her fingers with Kate’s as soon as she was near enough to do so. She leant foreword, pressing her face into the other girls neck and smiling into her skin. She wanted to stay like that forever, but the stretched soles of her feet wouldn’t allow it, emaline shrunk back to normal size with a light laugh that eased a little bit of the tension in the room. 

“I like this song...” Kate said quietly, without really meaning to.

“You know it?” Emaline asked quickly, taking her dance partner by surprise. 

Kate paused for a moment, not to think about her answer but to admire the sight in front of her. Emaline Addario was beautiful, the panels of her face lit up in multicolour that seemed to switch places with each beat of the song. She was smiling up at her; with eyes wide that seemed to beg the question:  
‘What are you waiting for?’

“I’m not sure...” Kate whispers. Emaline gives the girl a light kiss, just because, and places a hand at her hip, moving her in time with the music. Kate lets herself move in time with the girl, her entire body aware of how close they were.

A shy smile plays on Emaline’s lips, as Kate moves her hand above her head and twirls the blonde around much like Emaline had done the first time they really kissed. They giggle as Kate pulls Emaline back to her, a little closer than before. The song comes to a close as something a little more upbeat takes its place.  
“I’m a little thirsty, can I get you a drink?” Emaline takes a step away from Kate as she asks, not quite letting go of the girls hands yet. 

“Sure, that would be great thanks.” Kate fumbles over the words as Emaline starts towards the door.

The blonde calls quietly over her shoulder, “soda okay?” 

“Soda’s cool.” She nods her head in response. Emaline flashes her a quick smile, muttering an ‘okay’ just under her breath as she leaves the room not quite shutting the door behind her.

Kate takes a moment to breathe, smiling like an awkward idiot as she spins on the spot, her face in her hands and her lip between her teeth. Was this really happening?

She moves over to the bed, smoothing her fingers across the pink covers before sitting down. She crosses her ankles and examines the room around her. It was cluttered, but in a way that looked deliberate. Yesterday’s clothes were slumped over the back of a chair in the corner. There was a seat beneath the window, an open book was face down on the bench and it bought a smile to Kate’s lips. She tried to imagine Emaline, sat by the window reading a book. It was kinda hard to do. Until Kate spotted an ashtray and a piece of bright yellow plastic, which unpon further examination she realised was in fact a lighter, and suddenly it became a whole lot easier to see her sat there, a cigarette in her hand and a book in the other. The blonde exhaled a mouthful of smoke in her minds eye, as she devoured page after page of what she imagined was a book of Shakespeare’s plays.

The walls were covered in posters, various playbills and programmes pinned anywhere and everywhere. A collection of Polaroid pictures sat on the edge of the desk, next to a torn envelope. Kate stood to have a look, noting as she went the space on the wall where they had most likely been. She gathered the small cards in her hand, feeling a little guilty for prying but being unable to stop herself. 

Oliver. Every picture was of him. Or at least featured him, she realised, as she turned the photos in her hands. A couple were of them together. Kate couldn’t help but feel jealous. Emaline looked so happy. So in love in the candid shots another member of the drama club had undoubtedly taken of the couple. It was a far cry from the Emaline she had seen earlier that day, from across the cafeteria. She had told Kate it was nothing, but people didn’t just look that sad for no reason. 

Maybe she wasn’t over him. 

Before she could dwell on that thought, Kate put down the photos, stepped away from them and turned to see Emaline standing in the doorway, looking rather smug. She felt her whole body tense.

“Kate Messner, were you snooping?” Emaline’s voice was playful. Kate could tell she wasn’t actually mad, or she thought she wasn’t. She didn’t seem mad, but then Kate didn’t know for sure.

“I’m sorry-“ She fumbles, “I was just- I couldn’t- I was curious I guess?” Kate had never been so embarrassed in her life. Except maybe that time in the locker room when she had touched Emaline’s boob. Or that time in elementary school when she sat on a juice box and had to go home cause it looked like she had peed her pants.

Emaline laughed. Kate breathed a sigh of relief and let herself laugh with her. 

“Relax, Sweetie. I don’t care.” Emaline made her way across the room and offered Kate a can. “Pepsi?”

Kate took it from her, it was cold and felt nice against her too-warm palms. “Thanks.” She uttered.

“So...” Emaline started “find anything interesting?” She asked, taking a sip of her drink.

Ask her about the pictures.

“Um yeah- I was just wondering what you were reading?” Kate says, gesturing to the book on the window bench. 

Emaline moves to grab the book from the bench, carefully dog-earring the page. She sits down and shuffles along so there’s enough room for both of them.  
“Oh it’s called ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, I started reading it again when we went to Cali...” She trails off with a shy laugh.

Kate drops down next to her, pulling one leg up onto the bench and resting a hand on her bent knee. “What’s it about?” She asks.

Emaline seemed a little taken aback by the question, her eyes narrowed a little in surprise and she tapped her painted nails on the cover. “Well there’s like this guy- he’s super hot.” She clarifies quickly. “He meets this artist who thinks he’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, he falls completely in love with him while he’s painting him, then the artist’s friend tells Dorian- the super hot guy...” She says again, making them both laugh. “That he won’t always look as good as he does in the paintings so he goes kinda crazy and traps his soul inside his portrait so he can be young and beautiful forever.” She finishes, staring down at the book in her hands.

“Is that how it ends?” Kate asks, watching Emaline intently as the blonde avoids her gaze. 

Emaline looks over at Kate for a second. She had the most reassuring smile on her face. It felt weird. Strange to just be able to talk without the expectation of it leading to something more.  
“Well Dorian starts doing all these horrible things, and people let him get away with it cause he’s pretty, he like totally breaks this girls heart and she kills herself- and he doesn’t care at all then he goes to see the portrait and it’s hideous, the artist who’s still totally in love with him tries to get him to redeem himself but in a fit of rage, Dorian kills the artist.” Emaline puts the book down in the space between them and turns to face the sophomore.

“Wow that’s really- deep.” Kate sips her drink. The air between them suddenly feels thicker than it had a moment ago.  
“So what happens to the portrait?”

Emaline laughs lightly. “Well I haven’t read the whole thing since middle school, but I think he tries to destroy it by stabbing it. It doesn’t work and instead of the portrait being so terrifyingly ugly it’s returned to its former glory, and some of the staff find Dorian dead on the floor with a knife in his heart and he looks really old and his face is all disfigured... it’s not for everyone I guess.” 

Kate stares in wonder of the girl in front of her, she never would have thought that this side of Emaline existed, let alone that she would be able to see it. “It sounds good though.” She said quickly, realising she had just been staring for maybe a beat too long. “So do you think Dorian loved the artist back?”

Emaline wondered for a second. “Maybe.” She came to her conclusion. “I don’t think he was capable of love, he certainly didn’t deserve it.”

“Everyone deserves love...” she argued in return, surprising the other girl.

“Yeah- I guess you’re right.” Emaline says quietly, before a thought suddenly struck her. She bit her lip and tried not to laugh.

“What?” Kate asked, leaning her head against the window.

Emaline stood up from the bench and grabbed Kate’s free hand. “Okay so you can feel free to say no, in fact I encourage you to do so if you’re not into this but...” she stopped suddenly, seemingly loosing her nerve.

Kate stood and took a step towards the blonde. “Not into what?” She asked, genuinely confused. She didn’t mean?

“Well- Maybe it’s best I just show you?” Without saying anything else Emaline pulled Kate’s hand and led her out of her room, down the stairs and to the kitchen.

“Em, what are we doing?” Kate couldn’t help but laugh, despite having longer legs than her, Emaline walked unusually fast.

“Taking you to the shed?” She answered back, without missing a beat as if it was the most obvious thing.

Around a thousand different scenarios had played out in Kate’s mind by the time they reached the shed. Most of which included either her being murdered, or being taken to some kind of sex dungeon. None of which were even close to what was actually going to happen next. As they reached the shed Emaline let go of Kate’s hand and flipped the switch on the wall, the lights fluttered several times leaving the girls in darkness for a few moments. Emaline seemed to know where she was going however, as the lights settled the blonde was getting back to her feet. She had a large brown shoebox in her hands, it was covered in dust and some kind of black dirt from being underneath the car.

“A couple months ago, Oliver’s mom found his stash and threatened to call the cops if he didn’t get rid of it.” Emaline explains, dropping the box on a work bench and flipping the lid. “Of course he didn’t wanna get rid of it so he asked me to hide it here instead...”

Kate crossed over to where she was standing, peering over her shoulder at the contents of the box. She gasped audibly, inciting a laugh from the other girl.  
“Is that... what I think it is?” She asks incredulously.

Emaline laughs and starts poking through the contents of the box, before pulling out a nearly full bottle of whiskey and a pack of cigarettes. “do you want a real drink?” She asked, sounding more like herself than she had that day. Since Oliver left really. 

Without putting much thought into it, Kate agrees. “Sure- but what if your parents come home?”

Emaline hadn’t thought about that possibility yet, she was used to her parents just dipping in an out whenever, but now she thought about it she knew exactly what to do.  
“I wanna take you somewhere... I know this place just over the bridge.”

———————————————————-

“I’m really starting to think Emaline might be a bit of a bad influence.”

Tyler spun around in the desk chair, with an obnoxiously loud squeak.  
“Dude you need to chill, she’s allowed to have other friends. It’s weird for her to just hang out with us all the time.” 

Luke sighed, pressing furiously on the buttons of his Gameboy. “I dunno man-“

“Luke! Your friend’s here!” Sherry called from downstairs.

A confused look crosses his face. “What?”

Tyler chuckles and launches himself off his chair. “Oh yeah I invited McQuaid!” Tyler practically bounces across the room the greet his friend.

“When did you invite McQuaid?”

“When you were in the bathroom!” He calls back over his shoulder.

Luke listens to Tyler greet their friend in the hall before leading him in. 

Yet again Tyler threw himself down on the chair so hard it leaves it spinning out of control, Tyler grabs the desk to steady himself before turning to face his friends laughing loudly.

McQuaid sits down quietly on the bed. “Hello.” He says plainly.

Luke turns his head to his new visitor, “‘sup man? I didn’t know you was coming.”

“Sorry, I called him- well you actually. I just wanted to get out of the house.” He explained, shaking his head and pushing his glasses further up his nose

“Still bummed about Emaline?” Tyler asks, scooting the chair closer to his friends.

“Guess I was an idiot to think she’d ever be interested in me.” He replies sadly.

“Wait guys, catch me up?” Luke says shaking his head back and forth between his friends.

Tyler merely rolls his eyes in response while McQuaid clears his throat. “Well it’s nothing really. I thought we had a great time together and that she liked me... but clearly I was mistaken.” He says, staring straight in front of him.

Tyler nods solemnly. “Well if it helps, Luke’s mad at Emaline too right now.” He shrugs.

“Wait, why are you mad at Emaline?” McQuaid narrows his eyes. Did they know what was going on?

Tyler laughs. “Probably because she stole his girlfriend.” He snorts.

“That’s not what happened!” Luke defends. “We broke up because... we want different things. I’m just concerned. Y’know, as a friend.” His friends chuckle and he sends them both glares. “I mean it! Kate’s young, she’s impressionable! And then she walks in with her feminine wiles and suddenly Kate’s skipping school?”

It’s quiet for a moment. “So you’re definitely over her?” McQuaid asks, his expression flat as always.

Tyler snorts again. “Yeah right!”

Luke just shakes his head. “Of course I’m over her.” 

McQuaid looks up suddenly, like an idea had suddenly occurred to him. “You know, you’re right. Maybe you should talk to Kate.” He says.

Luke smiles at him for the first time since he had walked through the door. “You think? It wouldn’t be weird?”

“Well I think it’s necessary, like you said, we wouldn’t want Kate to get into trouble.” 

“It might be a little late for that anyway,” Luke shrugs “her dad called when I got home from school, asked if she was here.”

“And you said no?” Tyler interjects.

Luke nods his head, “I tried calling Emaline’s after to warn them but no one picked up.” He finishes.

“Wait if no one picked up then where are they?” McQuaid asks.

“More like what are they doing!” Tyler laughs with an exaggerated wink, his voice breaking as it often did.

McQuaid sits up straight, suddenly a little uncomfortable. Luke just shakes his head.

———————————————————

Kate passes the bottle back to Emaline, Her face scrunched up. The blonde laughs and takes a swig from the bottle. “Oh god that taste does not get better.” She said, finally recovering from her shot.

“It gets easier with time. You’ve handled yourself really well for a sophomore.” Emaline laughs as she takes a drag from her cigarette.

Kate nudges her shoulder playfully, “hey, I’m only a year younger than you.” She laughs.

The place Emaline had brought her to was almost completely secluded. In the middle of the Forrest there was a large clearing, which was home to several huge rocks, perfect for sitting and watching the sunset. It had been day light when they arrived, though now the sky was a dark pink. It felt good to be there, it was so quiet and peaceful.  
Kate thought she could hear the blood pumping in her veins every time Emaline touched her, though perhaps that was the river that ran not far from there. 

She didn’t know wether it was the alcohol, or the fact that the most beautiful girl she had ever seen was sat so close to her, but Kate felt utterly intoxicated. “This is really nice...” she muttered.

Emaline smiles sweetly at her, “yeah it is.” She agrees, leaning over place a kiss on Kate’s jaw which was easiest from her position. The sharp intake of breath was all the encouragement Emaline needed. She moved lower to kiss her neck, pressing her lips gently at her pulse point before grazing her teeth along the flesh.  
Kate moaned audibly, a sound Emaline had never heard before but longed to hear more. She started sucking lightly, enough to leave a mark but not enough to hurt. Kate reached over and gripped Emaline’s thigh a little too hard inciting a reaction from the blonde who bites down gently.  
Kate hissed and Emaline pulls away after soothing the area with a kiss. Before she can speak Kate pulls her in for a kiss, it was perhaps their most intense yet as Kate fights the impulse to explore every inch of the girl in front of her with her lips.

Emaline takes over again, and before Kate knows what’s happening her head is hitting her backpack which was conveniently placed behind her. Emaline lays at her side, half straddling her as she gets back to work on the other side of Kate’s neck. The mark which would undoubtedly be left there would be a lot worse, but Emaline was struggling to rein it in and Kate certainly didn’t seem to be complaining. 

“Emaline...” she breathed.

The girl in question hums in response, licking over any sore spots she might have created. 

“Is this real?”

Emaline looks up at Kate’s face. Her eyes are still closed, as though she just didn’t want to open them. Her cheeks were dark red and her hair was tossed out in all directions behind her. Emaline thought that she had never seen anything quite as beautiful. Still she couldn’t bring herself to answer the question. She leans in and presses another kiss to her lips this time.

“You’re all flushed, Miss Messner” She giggles, “I may have to cut you off...”

“No! One more drink.” Kate whines, earning a laugh and another kiss from the blonde.

“Fine, but just one.” She says, pulling Kate into a sitting position with her, offering the bottle before lighting another cigarette.  
Kate takes a long drink from the bottle. “Wow, easy there I still have to get you home in one piece remember?”

Kate gasps suddenly, nearly spitting out her drink. “Oh shit! Oh my god what if my dad’s mad? I can’t go home drunk!” She stresses.

Emaline smooths a hand across the girls hair, taking the bottle from her hands. “Hey it’s gonna be fine you’re not even drunk.” She tries to soothe her.

“I’m not?” She asks, sounding ever so slightly slurred.

Emaline screws the cap back onto the bottle. “Here,” she says, offering both hands to the girl and helping her to her feet. “See? You’re just fine- and by the time we get you home you’re gonna be right as rain...” she smiles reassuringly and places a kiss on her cheek.

Kate nods and moves to grab her bag, her balance was off but she didn’t fall over which was probably a good sign.

“But maybe we should walk the long way home, just to be sure?”

———————————————————

Ken Messner paced the living room.

“I’m sure she’s fine, Ken. Teenagers do these things it’s normal.” Sherry tried to reassure him from her spot on the couch.

“Not Kate.” He said anxiously. “She’s never done anything like this before.” He raised his hand to his lips as if he was going to bite his nails, he stopped as he caught sight of the window. “It’s nearly dark, Sherry. What if something’s happened?”

“Ken. Relax, honey, it’s going to be fine.”

Sherry was just about to object as the front door opened, and in walks Kate, basically sober thank god.

“See?” She says, raising her glass to her lips. 

Ken moves quickly into the hall, wrapping his arms around his daughter and soon as he sees her. “Jesus, Kate. Where have you been?” He asks as they pull apart.

Kate quickly hangs up her bag and jacket by the door. “I’m so sorry Dad, I completely forgot to tell you, I went over to Emaline’s to do homework and I lost track of time.”

Ken looked dumbfounded at his daughter for a second, before regaining his composure and trying to laugh it off. “Okay, just- just don’t do it again, you trying to give your old man a heart attack?” He smiles weakly.

“I won’t, Dad I promise.” She says, moving to give her dad another hug. She breaks away from him after a moment. “I think I’m just gonna hop in the shower and get an early night.” She makes her way towards the stairs, sending a smile and a small wave to sherry as she passes the doorway to the living room.

“Okay.” He chuckles weakly “goodnight kiddo!” He calls after her.

Kate slows down as she reaches the stairs, “night, Dad.” She smiles before heading up to her room. 

Ken marches back into the living room, setting down heavily next to Sherry.

“See? What did I tell you?” She says, running a hand along his back.

“Sherry you should’ve seen her.”

“Seen what?”

Ken took a breath. “She just- lied to my face. She said she was over at Emaline’s, doing homework of all things. She could barely even look at me...” he said sadly.

“How’d you know she was lying?” She asks, clutching his arm and patting his back.

“I called Emaline’s parents. Neither of them were there, and they hadn’t heard from her either.”

Upstairs Kate switches the shower on to heat up, undressing in front of the mirror.  
Luckily she had sobered up in just a few minutes once they started walking. Emaline had insisted on walking her home, just the thought of it made her heart twinge.  
Was this what it was supposed to feel like? So warm and inviting but kind of devastating at the same time. Was this how Luke had felt about her? 

———————————————————

Emaline’s parents hadn’t bothered her when she got home. She’d gone straight to her room, anxiously racing over to her desk. How could she have been so dumb?  
The letter had arrived this morning, she’d barely had time to read it before she’d left for school. Only glancing at the pictures he’d sent before adding them to pile of pictures that were too painful to look at.  
Had she seen them? Had she read the letter he’d sent her?

Maybe it was the booze or how utterly unstable she felt, but Emaline fought to pull that letter out it’s confines harder than any role she’d ever auditioned for.  
The sight of his handwriting alone made her hurt. She’d never hated herself more than she did at that moment.  
She hadn’t wanted to read it. She’d plan to burn them. There’s was a small voice in the back of her head telling her to forget about it. While another voice, a louder one, told her that she had to know. If there was even the slightest possibility that Kate had read it she needed to know what it said.

She could hear his voice through the page. So theatrical it was almost antagonising.

‘My dearest Emaline, my love.  
This city feels empty without you,  
I crave you like I crave nothing else in this world.  
Let me rescue you from that awful place,  
So that we may take this city together  
As we always meant to.  
I love you,  
Oliver.’

She felt sick. Furious and shattered.  
He hadn’t even apologised.  
She threw the page back down on the desk, refusing to even look at it anymore.  
She took a step back, as if the distance was going to make it hurt less.  
She needed to get rid of it, everything to do with him, but she just couldn’t.  
That was what made her stomach turn; how easily he could say ‘I love you’ without meaning it and how easy she felt herself falling for it.

She tried to think rationally about things. What she would say to Kate should she ever confront her about the letter. She couldn’t do it again, lose someone like that.  
He had been so nice to her, gentle with her at the start. Of course she would fall for him. She had loved Oliver, completely, but he had ruined her.  
She hands down her arms, suddenly feeling very cold, when the thought occurred to her, perhaps she had ruined him.

It was with that parting thought that Emaline stripped off her clothes and got into bed, unable to continue that train of thought any longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Xoxo

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave any comments or suggestions You have I love hearing from you guys! Thanks for reading xoxo


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